On the Bright Side by Anna Sortino
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Web ID: 184969282 reviews
Whole characters with compelling stories
On the Bright Side is about two teens, each struggling with their own issues, who develop feelings for each other. Ellie is deaf but her family never bothered to learn sign language and only ever expects her to accommodate them -- wear her cochlear implant, not use sign language, etc.--but never make an effort to accommodate her (they don't include her in multi-person, hearing conversations, don't learn or use ASL, and tell her to act "normal"). Ellie has an uphill battle when she's forced to move back home with them after her deaf boarding school closes. She also struggles with her interpreter at school who doesn't translate accurately for her. Meanwhile, Jackson starts to develop a relationship with Ellie and starts to understand her struggles and the expectations people place on her to fit into their world -- and then starts to develop odd sensations in his body and starts to struggle with his physical health. Sortino did a great job balancing their two struggles and stories and gives them each strong development and voices. I also appreciated how they were foils to each other and helped develop each other. The romance was sweet and suitable for middle school and beyond. This would be great for any secondary collection especially with such strong representation. I loved that even though these characters had their struggles they weren't defined by them and had aspects of their lives that were separate. We experienced these characters as whole people and that made a big difference. If you like realistic fiction, Sortino's other book, romance, or compelling, character driven stories, this is for you! Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Book!
This author did a great job of putting the reader in the shoes of the Ellie and Jackson. With this author’s writing, I was able to get some idea of what it is like to be death with Ellie and have MS with Jackson. I thought that Jackson’s part was particularly great to see representation for because the book followed the process of him realizing something is wrong, getting the diagnosis, and then learning to live with his disability and still truly live. Thank you G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com